The Atlantic Unprecedented Second Printing of July/August 2016 Issue

With cover story “How American Politics Went Insane,” issue on track to be best-selling since 2008, in year of record newsstand sales

Jul 20, 2016

Washington, D.C. (July 20, 2016)—For the first time in the modern history of The Atlantic, the magazine is sending the current issue back on press for an unprecedented second printing to meet newsstand demand. The July/August issue, with the cover story “How American Politics Went Insane” by Jonathan Rauch, is pacing to be The Atlantic’s best-selling issue in nearly a decade. With data from three weeks on newsstands, the July/August issue has sold twice as many copies as the same issue in 2015. Twenty-five thousand additional copies are being printed.

“At a time of troubling newsstand performance for many magazines, it was kind of thrilling to order up a second printing for this issue,” said Bob Cohn, The Atlantic’s president. “Even as our website attracts millions and millions of readers, we are especially gratified by the overwhelming response to the print magazine—particularly with its renewed emphasis on politics in this fascinating year. Hats off to editor Scott Stossel, creative director Darhil Crooks, and the whole team."

The Atlantic is tracking to have its best year on newsstands since at least 2009. Like the current cover story—which argues for a return to the establishment to cure political dysfunction—The Atlantic’s top-performing covers in the first half of the year have all been politics-focused. The April issue of the magazine, “The Obama Doctrine” by Jeffrey Goldberg, sold almost 30 percent more copies year over year. “The Mind of Donald Trump” in June 2016 saw increased newsstand sales of 60 percent year over year.

The new batch of issues will hit newsstands during the nominating conventions, where The Atlantic is sending its largest reporting and events teams, and producing 20 events in Cleveland and Philadelphia. Since expanding its focus on Politics & Policy coverage in January, The Atlantic has tripled the size of the political reporting team, grown audience to the Politics & Policy section of TheAtlantic.com by 160 percent year over year, and seen an explosion of live events.

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